The Trouble with Relationships
by Katma
Summary: The eventual reconciliation between Faith and Bosco... what will happen?


Author: Kat

Email: hawaiibaby81@hotmail.com

Disclaimer:  I do not own any of these characters, much as I would like.  Please don't sue, because I haven't even graduated yet and all you will inherit is college debt and car loans.  It's not worth it, believe you me.

Author's Note:  This is not my first fanfiction, but it is my first attempt at Third Watch fanfiction.  I've only been watching religiously for a while, so please forgive any errors I might have made, but let me know.  That's the only way to improve, yano!  Oh, and this is very PWPish… I wrote it for a friend who was staying up late to work on a project.  And it's very Faith/Bosco shippery, which comes from the fact that BEFORE I really started watching it, I saw those two onscreen and immediately asked my roomie if they were together.  She proceeded to snort in my face, but… the first impression still stands.  This is the very toned-down version of this story… if you want to read it in all of it's smutty glory, click on the link in my author's page, and it will take you to the smut.  Thanks to Angel_of_Music for the beta, and RurouniAngel27 for the inspiration.

Faith was filling out paperwork at the front desk when the back of her neck tingled.  She didn't have to look behind her to know who it was.  Bosco had been a silent, shadowing presence since her return to the precinct.  He was carefully watching out for her whenever he could, which would normally be an irritation, but was oddly comforting from him.  Faith firmly suppressed that thought, however; she and Bosco hadn't spoken since Faith had kicked him out of her hospital room, and she still wasn't sure she wanted to change that.  

Besides the fact that it was Bosco's fault she'd been shot and had to spend months recuperating in the first place, he'd hurt her badly before that.  The inquiry into the shootout hadn't helped any, although to hear Sully and Davis tell it, Bosco had really stuck his neck out for her.  Then there was their fight previous to the shootout.   The angry words they'd both spoken in the locker room still stung.  And Bosco had looked her in the eyes and lied to her.  Despite the fact that she missed working with him (life without Bosco was very boring), she wasn't sure they could ever regain their old relationship.

_But then again_, Faith thought with a sigh, _maybe there was something to be said about new relationships_.  Her comfortable one with Fred was certainly falling apart quickly.  He'd been furious when she'd made the decision to return to the force.  They'd spent hours screaming at each other.  Fred seemed to think that this injury would make her want to get a "normal job."  Instead, it just pushed her to prove that she could be what she had been.  At one point during the shouting, Fred had told her to choose between her job and her family.  Faith had screamed back that she couldn't, that both were important to her.  He told her not to go into work the next morning.  She did.  At first, she thought it was just an empty threat.  But for the last two weeks, Fred had voluntarily slept on the couch.  She was losing him, every day more, and she couldn't (_or wouldn't_, a little voice in her head piped up) do anything to stop it.

She smiled, an expression with little humor in it, at the form she was filling out.  Soon she wouldn't have to choose.  The choice would be taken from her, but Faith really couldn't bring herself to care.  If he didn't understand why she had to do this, then he didn't understand her at all.  That hurt, especially considering that they'd been together for over 15 years, but...  sometimes that happened.  People changed, grew apart... as long as she could see her kids, Faith figured she'd be ok.  Hopefully.  Faith suddenly frowned down at the paper.  There was an error on it, an important one.  She groaned and rubbed her hand across the back of her neck.  She'd have to fix that before she could turn it in, which meant a late night tonight.  Grabbing the stack of papers, Faith headed towards her office and resigned herself to a late night.

Sometime much later, Faith woke up to the feeling of a gentle hand on her shoulder and a soft voice calling her name.

"Faith?  Hey, Faith.  You gotta wake up."

Faith blinked blurry eyes at the man in front of her.  "Bosco?"

"Yeah."  The hand left her shoulder, and Bosco sat down in the chair next to her.  He gave her a concerned look.  "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."  Faith wasn't awake enough to really guard what she was saying.  "Just haven't been sleeping well at home."

"Emily and Charlie givin' you trouble?"

"No," Faith yawned.  "Fred."

"Oh," Bosco said.  They sat in silence for a few moments as Faith rubbed her eyes and stretched, trying to wake up.  When she did, and she realized who she had been talking to, she froze a little.  Bosco watched as her guard slipped down over her face, and he winced internally.  _I think I liked it better when she was sleepy,_ he thought.

"What're you doing here, Bosco?" she asked quietly.  He shifted a bit in his chair and wouldn't look at her.

"I wanted to make sure you were ok, you know?  So I was waitin' for you to leave.  But you didn't, so I came in to see what was wrong an' you were asleep."  He hesitated for a moment, then plunged in.  "An' I wanted to try an' talk to you."

"What's there to talk about?" Faith asked, gathering the paperwork up.  She'd managed to fix the error before falling asleep, and the stuff that wasn't finished yet could wait until tomorrow.

"Faith...  I know I messed up, ok?  Big time.  And you paid the price for that.  But I don't... I don't want us to not be talkin'.  It's... weird having you here and us not gettin' along at all."

"Bosco..."  Faith looked at him.  He looked so sad yet expectant sitting there, waiting for her to tell him it was all right.  But it wasn't all right, and might never be all right again.  Or so Faith told herself.  "I can't just forget it, ok?  Not now.  Maybe not ever.  So can't you just let it go?"

Bosco's face fell, and a look of hurt like she'd never seen crossed his face before he managed to gain control again.  "Yeah, I understand.  I kinda figured that.  But I couldn't not try, you know."

Faith looked at him consideringly.  She should just leave, but she found herself remarkably incapable of doing that where Bosco was concerned.  "No, I don't know, Bosco.  What makes me so special?"

Bosco's mouth fell open.  "What?"

"Why am I the only one, huh?  Why do you have to come to me for help?  Why can't you just leave me alone??"

Bosco's mouth opened and closed a few times.  "Because... because you are, and I can't not come to you."

"Why?" Faith asked, practically begging.  "Why me?"

"Because."  Bosco's voice was very quiet, but Faith could hear every word perfectly clearly.  "I love you.  I always have.  I know you're with Fred, an' you don't feel the same way, but... that's why, Faith."

Faith just stood there, staring at him, as her papers fell out of her suddenly limp hands.  She could feel her jaw hanging loose, and forced herself to shut it with a snap.  "You what?"

"You heard me, Faith," Bosco said, sounding slightly irritated.  "I kept it to myself, cuz I know you don't feel the same, but... you asked."

Faith just continued to stare.  Then she glanced at the papers at her feet.  Mechanically, she bent down to pick them up.  Her mind was awhirl, spinning so fast she could practically see the colors of her thoughts floating in front of her eyes.  Bosco loved her?  Was in love with her?  Bosco knelt to help her, and Faith looked into his warm and surprisingly serious green eyes.  Something in her broke, and she scrambled back wards.

"I can't... I don't...  I gotta go," she babbled as she backed down the hall.  Bosco stood up and watched her as she backed quickly away, then turned at the stairs and practically flew down them and away.  Bosco looked at the sheets of papers lying at his feet and kicked them.  

"Dammit!" he cursed as his hand smacked the doorframe.

*     *     *     *     *

Faith unlocked the door and entered a silent house.  She could see the blanket-covered lump on the couch that indicated Fred, and she sighed with relief.  She didn't want to attempt a reconciliation tonight, not with Bosco's confession still burning in her brain.  He loved her.  She knew they cared for each other... they had to in order to be effective partners.  But love...

Of course, she couldn't deny what she'd seen in his eyes when they had been on the floor picking up papers.  Bosco was telling her the truth.  That thought sent a warm thrill tingling down her spine, a thrill which she firmly suppressed.  She couldn't feel that way, she was a married woman.

_Yeah, but for how much longer?_ asked the little voice in her head again.  It was getting progressively louder and louder, Faith noticed with irritation.

**It doesn't matter**, she told it firmly.  **So hush**.

The voice gave the mental equivalent of an eye roll.  _Right.  If it didn't matter, then you wouldn't still be thinking about it, would you_?

**But, it's Bosco**! Faith protested

_Your best friend.  The person you trust the most in the world_.

Faith began changing automatically, all attention focused on her internal argument.

**Yeah, and also the man who sucked me into** _his_ **mess and nearly got me killed**.

_But he risked his career and the rest of his life to make sure you didn't take the rap for anything that happened that night_, the voice pointed out.

**Which he should have, after what he did!**

_But he didn't have to_.

Faith groaned, and wondered whether it was a bad thing when the voices in your head gave you a headache.  **I'll think about it, all right**? she told the voice.

That shut it up, and Faith fell into bed and into a surprisingly deep sleep.  A sleep that was haunted by a pair of intense, caring green eyes...

*     *     *     *     *

The next day at work was much of the same, although Faith didn't see Bosco around.  A subtle probing of Davis and Sully revealed that Bosco had called in.  Faith felt a niggling bit of disappointment that she managed to squash quickly.  It was raining, so the day was going to be busy.  Rain always brought out the worst drivers.

Faith stepped out to the RMP with her partner, Monroe, and tilted her head up to the gray sky.  "I like rain," she said quietly.

"I hate it," Sasha said, glaring at the sky.  "Makes our job that much harder."

Faith grinned.  "True.  But it's almost worth it, I think."

Sasha grinned back.  "You just go on thinking that.  See if you feel the same way after a shift of directing traffic around accidents."

Sasha's words proved to be prophetic, and the pair returned from their shift soaking wet.  Faith was almost glad for the job, however, because it gave her time to think.  She'd finally come to a conclusion about what Bosco had said last night.  Now all she had to do was talk to him about it.

She showered quickly and left her hair down to dry, although she wasn't sure how effective that would be considering current conditions.  Then she pulled on her jeans and sweater, grateful she'd remembered to bring the sweater.  The rain had cooled the air down considerably, and the warm spring air now felt more like fall than spring.  Then she headed outside the station house and hailed a cab.  It was time to beard the lion in his den.

Faith knocked on Bosco's apartment door, hoping he was there.  She'd feel very silly coming all the way over here if he wasn't.  Luckily, she could hear footsteps approaching the door, and then Bosco was peering out.

"Faith?" he said in surprise.

"Hey, Bosco," she said.  The two stared at each other before Faith finally said, "Can I come in?"

"Yeah, sure," Bosco said, stepping aside.  He stared at Faith as she walked in, admiring the way the sweater clung to her curves and the still-damp hair framed her face.

There was another uncomfortable silence, this time broken by Bosco.  "You want somethin' to drink?"

"Water'd be great," Faith said.  "Thanks."  

"No problem," Bosco said.  "Why don't you go sit on the couch, an' I'll bring it out."

Faith nodded and went to sit on the edge of the couch, nervously clasping and unclasping her hands.  Bosco came out a few moments later with a glass of water and a can of Coke for himself.  He sat down on the other end of the couch and watched as Faith began playing with the glass.

"I'm sorry 'bout last night," he said abruptly.  "You didn't need that, and I'm sorry.  I didn't want to mess things up further."

"You really shocked me, Bos," Faith told him.  "I didn't know what to do."

"Yeah, I figured that much when you ran away."  Bosco snorted.  "Look, I know you're with Fred, an' I won't bring this up again, but..."

"What if I'm not," Faith blurted, interrupting him.

"What if you're not what?"  Bosco was clearly confused.

"With Fred anymore."

"You're not?" Bosco asked.  "Since when?"

"Since I came back, really.  We've been fightin' since then and now…  Now, we haven't talked in two weeks.  When I got up this morning, the yellow pages were open to divorce lawyers.  He's leaving, and probably soon."

"Faith...  Are you ok with that?"

Faith smiled.  "Actually... yeah.  He asked me to chose, between him and my job.  I couldn't do it.  Guess that should tell me something, huh?"

"I guess, but...  isn't this kinda sudden?"

"Not really.  We've been growing apart, gradually, since I got shot.  It's not anyone's fault, it just is, you know?"

Bosco nodded, that intent gaze once again locked on her.  "And you're tellin' me about this now because...?"

Faith took a deep breath.  _If he could do it, so can I_, she told herself firmly.  "What would you say if I told you I didn't want you to forget what you told me last night?"

Bosco's eyes widened.  "Are you serious?  Cuz if this's a joke, Faith, it's not funny."

"It's not a joke," Faith said, scooting a little closer to him and shaking her head firmly.  "Even after everything that happened, you're still my best friend, Bos.  The person I trust most in the world.  And... I'd like to see if we could be something more."

Bosco's face lit up, then he pulled back a little, sudden suspicion making his eyes go dark.  "You're not just sayin' this cuz you just broke up with your husband, right?"

Faith blinked at him, then shook her head again.  "Nope.  Fred's got nothin' to do with this, with us."

"Good," Bosco said. He smiled at her, then reached out to touch her cheek gently. Before he could pull away, Faith turned her head so that her lips brushed the center of his palm. Bosco inhaled sharply and tilted her chin so that she was looking at him. His eyes, dark with desire, sent another tingle down Faith's spine. A small part of her marveled at the fact that Bosco could do that to her just by looking at her, but the greater part of her was more concerned with Bosco's next move. Bosco studied her eyes for a moment, then obviously decided that he liked what he saw. Still, he was very cautious as he leaned forward and traced the outline of her lips with his forefinger. Then he placed his lips on hers, kissing her softly.

Faith leaned into his kiss, slipping her hands up to grip his shoulders. Bosco pulled away for a moment and watched her worriedly. 

"Faith, you sure? Cuz you don't..."

"Bos," Faith said, a small smile tugging the corner of her lips. "Shut up an' kiss me."

Bosco blinked, then smiled at her. "Yes, ma'am."

This time his kiss was firmer, more assured. One of Bosco's arms slipped around her waist, the other cradled her neck as his fingers tangled in the loose, damp hair. When his tongue gently followed the path his finger had taken a few moments before, Faith willingly parted her lips and allowed him to deepen the kiss.

Bosco kissed her like she was the most important thing in the world, like he couldn't get enough of her. Faith had never felt the depth of emotion she experienced when Bosco's lips were on hers. She so lost herself in the press of lips against lips, the glide of tongues, and the soft touches of Bosco's hands on her back that she was slightly surprised to see the ceiling above her when Bosco finally broke away to trail kisses across her cheek and down her throat. _How did I get here_? she thought fuzzily, then decided it didn't matter when Bosco's hand slipped under her sweater to cup her breast. She gasped and arched into his touch, and Bosco looked up to smile at her.

"Like that?" he asked, finger flicking her nipple. Faith let her moan and arched body speak for her, unsure whether her voice would even work. Bosco placed a hot, open-mouthed kiss on the sensitive spot just under her ear.

"God, you're beautiful," he whispered hoarsely.

Faith tugged gently on his shoulders until he looked up, then she pulled him into a deep kiss. Her hands moved under his shirt, stroking the long, defined muscles of his back and shoulders. Bosco broke away just long enough to pull his shirt over his head, and Faith gasped. It wasn't like she hadn't seen his chest before; they did change in the same room. But there was something different about seeing it and knowing that she could touch. This time it was Faith who pulled away from the kiss, following the strong line of his neck down to his shoulders and collarbone, which she nipped gently. Bosco groaned, the sound vibrating Faith's lips, and she grinned.

Faith laved the spot she'd nipped gently with her tongue, then tried to move farther down.  She was stopped, however, by the restraints of the couch.  She groaned in frustration and pushed on Bosco's chest.  

"Bos?  Can we move this somewhere else?"

Bosco kissed her cheek, her nose, and then her lips.  "The bed work?"

"Mmhmm," Faith agreed, kissing him back.  Bosco slowly stood up, pulling Faith with him so that their lips didn't part.  Faith swayed a little and clung to his shoulders as he continued to kiss her.  Insistently, Bosco tugged on her sweater until she broke away and pulled it off, then he kissed her again and began backing her into the bedroom, hands stroking the warm skin now fully bared to his touch.

They paused a few more times for Faith to kick off her shoes and Bosco to lose his jeans before Faith felt herself tumbling onto the bed in a flurry of arms and legs.  He pulled a condom out of the drawer and put it on, then slipped between her legs as Faith squirmed in anticipation.  He paused for a moment, stroking her hair off her face.

"You sure?" he asked one more time.

Faith's response was to reach down and guide him into her.  He gasped as her tight heat enclosed him, and she smiled.

"Yeah, Bos, I'm sure."

Bosco buried his face in the juncture between her neck and shoulder, placing soft kisses on the skin.

"God, I love you."

They found a rhythm easily, moving together as if they'd done this for years.  Faith could feel herself winding tighter and tighter, almost ready to explode.  It wasn't long before Faith came undone.  She gasped, crying out Bosco's name as her world shattered around her.  The feel of her pleasure was enough to bring Bosco over the edge, too, and he came quietly, body tense and shaking above hers.

Faith stroked Bosco's back as the two slowly came back down.  Finally, with a last soft kiss to her neck, Bosco pulled away, removing the condom.

"Be right back," he told her.  Faith nodded and curled up under the covers, waiting for Bosco to return.  When he came back, Faith wrinkled her brow at the almost scared expression on his face.  He relaxed visibly when he saw her, however.

"What's wrong?" she asked as he slipped under the covers next to her, wrapping his arms around her.

"Nothin'."

"It's not nothin'," Faith protested, turning around to face him.  "Tell me."

"I was jus' afraid you were gonna leave.  And when I didn't see you right away… I got scared, ok?"

"Why would I leave?"  Faith looked genuinely puzzled.

"I dunno… you realized you didn't want this, you thought you wanted Fred… I dunno."  He wouldn't look at her.

"Bosco."  Faith tilted his chin up so that he had to meet her eyes.  "I'm not gonna leave, ok?  And I don't regret this.  Not at all.  I think we have quite a future ahead of us."

"You're sure?"

"I've never been more sure of anything," Faith promised.  Bosco's face relaxed, and he kissed her gently.

"Thanks, Faith," he whispered as he wrapped his arms around her.

Faith cuddled into his warmth and smiled sleepily.  "Night, Bos."

"Night, Faith."

A/N:  Again, if you want the NC-17 version, click on the link in my bio.  Thanks for reading!


End file.
